311 has a new single out, a new CD coming out soon and they're on the road. Time marches on for one of rock's most popular bands. And consider this: The lineup - Nick Hexum, S. A. Martinez, Tim Mahoney, Chad Sexton and Aaron Wills - hasn't changed since 1991.
Thursday, the band plays the St. Augustine Amphitheatre with Middleburg's own Red Jumpsuit Apparatus opening.
311 came out of Nebraska, throwing white boy hip-hop in with its rock. Over the years, they've tossed bits of reggae and funk into the mix. But they've been a consistent Top 10 band for more than a decade.
The band's new album, "Uplifter," is being released Tuesday, June 2, the first new work from the band since 2005's "Don't Tread on Me." The first single, "Hey You," came out earlier this month.
It's the first time they've worked with producer Bob Rock, who has a long list of credits, including Metallica, Motley Crue, Bon Jovi and Aerosmith. Willis, who plays bass and goes by the name P-Nut, called him "the illustrious Bob Rock," and said he brought a different energy to the studio.
"I never had a producer tell me that I wasn't listening to the music when I recorded new bass lines," he said. "He's an amazing taskmaster."
And Willis is more than happy with the result.
"There wasn't that much throwing rhymes on 'Don't Tread on Me,' " Willis said. "But we're doing that more. And I think we're more comfortable with a few darker songs.
"On the radio," he said, "we can come across as a rock band who plays pop songs. But if you go to the show, there's a little more to it than that."
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